Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, and Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
The Women in Criminal Justice Reform Act makes sweeping changes to how the federal criminal justice system treats women defendants and incarcerated individuals. The bill requires judges to consider the impact on children when setting bail for parents, makes it harder for states to terminate parental rights when incarceration or immigration detention caused the foster care placement, and establishes a federal pretrial diversion program that allows courts to redirect defendants into treatment and support services instead of prosecution. For incarcerated women, the bill mandates comprehensive gender-responsive healthcare standards in federal prisons, requires all prison programs and services to address women's specific needs such as trauma and substance abuse treatment, and reforms discipline policies to limit solitary confinement and prioritize rehabilitation. Additionally, the bill caps drug conspiracy penalties at five years to address situations where people peripherally involved in drug crimes faced sentences equal to or exceeding those of the primary offenders, and requires annual reports to Congress on how disciplinary sanctions are applied across different demographic groups.
Take Action
Your position
Add a comment
to comment on this bill.
Annotate the text
Highlight any passage on the Summary or Full Text tab to attach a note. Annotations appear on the Annotations tab.